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Friday, 21 October 2016

Today the blog tour for Suzan Lauder's latest story, 'Letter from Ramsgate' stops by for a vignette and giveaway. This is not the first time Suzan's writing has appeared on this blog, as I have previously blogged about her first book, 'Alias Thomas Bennet' and the anthology 'Then Comes Winter', which features a short story by her. Read on for a vignette from Suzan Lauder, learn more about this story and have the chance to win a copy of the book for yourself!

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This is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a blog I’ve long admired, and I thank Ceri for inviting me. I first noticed Ceri as a commenter on other blogs around the time my first novel, Alias Thomas Bennet, was published. The unique Welsh name was memorable, and a large proportion of my ancestors are Welsh. Her insightful comments left me unsurprised when she became a guest reviewer and then started her own book blog, Babblings of a Bookworm, as she is able to communicate her experiences with a novel so that readers have a fair idea of whether it’s the book for them. It turns out she loves to read in multiple genres as well, a bonus to her readers.

This vignette was in an early draft of Letter from Ramsgate, as part of the first chapter. It shows Elizabeth preparing to leave Longbourn for the summer she’ll spend with her Aunt Gardiner at Lady Edwina Moore’s lavish house on Nelson Crescent in Ramsgate. I’m pleased to share it with Ceri and her readers on Babblings of a Bookworm.

1 Original artwork of Longbourn was prepared by Janet B. Taylor for the back cover of "Alias Thomas Bennet."

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The ladies of Longbourn showed a great deal of interest in the gowns Elizabeth was to take with her and in consideration of the possible necessity to procure more.

Elizabeth thought not, but her mother insisted on two new ones, speculating excitedly about the muslins that could be found in Meryton and whether they would suit the events that surely must take place in Ramsgate. Jane kindly had one of her better dresses remade to fit Elizabeth. It was without necessity but, nevertheless, it was from dear Jane, and such a generous favour.

Mama fluttered about insisting that this very lucky opportunity was to be made the best of due to the certainty of opportunities in the way of agreeable society to be had at Ramsgate. Perhaps some eligible young men would take a fancy to her Lizzy.

2 Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate, early 1800's,

courtesy Michael's Book
Shop

Elizabeth tried to ignore her at first. When she became frustrated at her mother’s insistence and stated a lack of interest in this pursuit, Mama frowned and expressed her regret that Jane would not be the daughter who would travel to Lady Edwina’s home on Nelson Crescent, for she was so beautiful as to be certain to catch a husband.

Her father’s reaction to the loss of his preferred daughter’s company was to frequently lament that little relief would be found in the conversation of the remaining girls. None could stand up to his love of spirited debate on unconventional subjects and fondness for observing and laughing at the whims and inconsistencies of other people in their small circle of friends. He was so very affected that he almost promised to respond to the occasional letter Elizabeth usually directed towards him while she was away. Although she was pleased at being his favourite, sometimes it seemed wrong that he was so open in his characterization of her sisters.

But she couldn’t help but notice that her sisters acted as expected: Jane did all she could to ensure Elizabeth’s preparation for travel went smoothly, was entirely selfless in each task, and cared only for Elizabeth’s benefit. The youngest three, after some mild interest in the first place, ignored her in favour of their own preferred pursuits—Mary being more seriously inclined, and Kitty and Lydia off to some sort of fun and games of interest to such young ladies.

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Thank you so much to Suzan Lauder for sharing this vignette, and a special thanks from me for the lovely comments!

Book Blurb:

Sir, I am not known to you. I fear you may have concerns regarding some intelligence that recently came to me from your sister...

On holiday in Ramsgate, Elizabeth Bennet befriends shy, romantic Georgiana Darcy, who shares an adoring description of an ideal elder brother. When Georgiana discloses a secret infatuation with her brother’s “close friend” Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth’s altered perception of both men affects her actions and alliances.

The secret within an anonymous letter from Ramsgate ties Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth together but also separates them. A second missive unlocks the disguise, but Mr. Darcy realizes his true passions too late to assist Elizabeth in her darkest hour. Will the shocking disclosure of a forgotten letter transform his understanding of her heart and lead them to embrace their future?

Letter from Ramsgate is a Pride and Prejudice variation suitable for most audiences (youth and up).

A love for Jane Austen’s novels and Regency and Austenesque romance novels inspired Suzan Lauder to write her own variations, which led her to a passion for Regency era history and costuming, as well as social media book marketing. She cherishes the many friends she’s made as a result of these interests.

Suzan is a member of JASNA, VIRA, RWA (PAN and Beau Monde chapters), and is a registered professional engineer. She enjoys independent travel, design, Pilates, yoga, cycling, sustainability, upcycling, architecture, beta editing, and blogging. Most of the time, a Vancouver Island penthouse loft condominium with a view of the Salish Sea is home. For a few months each winter, Mr. Suze and their two rescue cats accompany her to their tiny Spanish colonial casita in Centro Historico of an industrial city in Mexico.

Letter from Ramsgate is Lauder’s second published novel and comes on the heels of her successful upcycled costuming blog series, the Thrift Shop Regency Costume Experiment. Her latest venture is blogging about her learning experiences while editing Letter from Ramsgate. Suzan’s first novel, Alias Thomas Bennet, is an Austen-inspired Regency romance with a mystery twist. She also contributed a short modern romance, Delivery Boy, to the holiday anthology Then Comes Winter. All Lauder’s published fiction is based on Pride and Prejudice and is available from Meryton Press.

The lovely people at Meryton Press are giving away 8 copies of 'Letter From Ramsgate' to commenters on the blog tour posts. See below on all the details of how to enter. You need to use the rafflecopter to be in for a chance of winning.

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post that has a giveaway attached for the tour. (Review posts are not part of the giveaways). Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented (which will be verified). If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified.

Tweet and comment once daily to earn extra entries.

A winner may win ONLY 1 (ONE) copy of Letter from Ramsgate by Suzan Lauder. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and paperback or ebook format will randomly be selected for each winner as well.

**NOTE: Paperback copies are ONLY available for continental US winners! Ebook copies are available for ALL winners, including international winners! If more international winners are randomly chosen than the 4 allotted ebooks, then that will decrease the number of paperbacks. 8 books will be given away to 8 different winners.**

I love seeing your name in these comments, Anji, because you're always so positive. The lovely cover is thanks to graphic artist Zorylee Diaz-Lupitou. I'm very lucky to have it, because real life was crazy for her while she was developing it for me. Part of why it's different is she's used a number of different images put together for it, rather than a specific pair of models or artwork. Thanks so much, and good luck with the draw!

Excellent cover choice. Those Bennet girls are well described and poor Mr. Bennet left all alone in a house full of senseless silly women. With the exception of Jane. I could just see the confusion and chaos. Blessings on your launch.

Dear Jane is such a sweet character, but it's hard to build a novel around that. Thanks, Nicole, and I hope your blog tour is going as well as mine. We're both so lucky to have Janet B. Taylor of Most Agreeably Engaged organizing for us!

Talk about a Freudian slip! I said Janet's blog title wrong! It's "More Agreeably Engaged," like the quote from P&P. But it's a most agreeable blog. Check out the art and related items while you're there!

Good thing I only have two feet. Janet organized an earlier tour for Nicole. Rita Deodato of From Pemberley to Milton is organizing the blog tour for "The Courtship of Edward Gardiner." Apologies to all concerned. I owe you.

I don't read fast enough for KU, and I have a 100 book TBR on my Kindle. Of course, a large number of them are Georgette Heyers and classics, but JAFF dominates, and with 30 new books a month, it's not a surprise to have trouble keeping up! Thanks for commenting, Karen!

Yay! Another of Suzan’s snipped snippets! Thanks, Ceri.Suzan, your blog tour excerpts and deleted scenes have piqued my interest. The novel is now on my Kindle. I just wish I didn’t have to work early tomorrow morning. I want to stay up and finish reading Letters from Ramsgate.Hugs from Nova Scotia,Joanne

Always thought as the 2 eldest sisters, that Jane and Lizzy, could have been better sisters to the 3 youngest, especially Lizzy as her father's favourite, and therefore would have some influence on his attitude towards them

As the eldest of three sisters, I don't think it's that easy. They were all fairly close in age, too. Society of the time would have staff caring for children more than elder siblings. Plus it wouldn't have made for nearly as interesting a novel, unless there was an identity swap as part of it, of course. Thanks for commenting, Vesper!

I have had that thought too, Vesper, because they (or at least, Lizzy) could see that their father's attitude wasn't always fair to their sisters, though on the times when Lizzy tried she met with mixed fortunes.

I am a stranger to sister politics, but sibling relationships can be fraught, especially when there is a close age gap.

I see that the Rafflecopter has been fixed, and we can put the name of the blog in now. :) Thanks for the giveaway and a fun tour, Suzan. I find myself checking for new entries every day to see what you have in store for us. :) Good job.

About Me

I've loved reading for as long as I can remember. I usually read romance, both historical and contemporary but I'm not usually a big fan of chick-lit. My favourite author is Jane Austen, and I really enjoy reading stories inspired by her work. I also love many of the works of L M Montgomery, Georgette Heyer and Mrs Gaskell, amongst others.